This apparatus is directed to an attachment for preexistent semiautomatic weapons. In particular, it is intended to cooperate with rifles handling 22-gauge ammunition of the semiautomatic variety. As exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,191, a very complex mechanism assists in making a rapid fire weapon. It is unduly complex and expensive. An equally complex structure is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,761. Major reconstruction of the trigger and connected apparatus is required in U.S. Pat. No. 2,948,194. A very limited two-round burst firing mechanism is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,345,914.
These references and others of similar construction fairly well set forth the nature of the apparatus required to achieve burst firing of a weapon. The present apparatus is a conversion apparatus for use with a preexistent semiautomatic rifle constructed with a trigger and trigger guard. It enables burst firing from the weapon by implementing a conversion which, while permitting burst firing, does not violate registration laws of the United States for automatic weaponry. This conversion is achieved in a relatively inexpensive manner and is, indeed, an inexpensive structure.
The apparatus of the present invention is relatively lightweight and easy to install, subsequently removable after installation and is operable with a minimum of instruction, practice or skill. It can be installed on a weapon such as a rifle of the semiautomatic variety constructed with a trigger and trigger guard, certainly a weapon that is not extraordinarily expensive, and can be converted in the matter of a few minutes on installation of the present apparatus. Such a conversion will yield a semiautomatic weapon which is able to fire at a rate of speed primarily determined by the semiautomatic construction of the weapon and the maximum rate permitted by that construction.
This apparatus is relatively inexpensive in construction, being formed of a high quality, high impact plastic. The parts are assembled with relative ease, and one of the advantages and features of the present invention is the incorporation of a clamp mechanism utilizing clamping screws to attach to the trigger guard. It is adaptable for many constructions of semiautomatic weapon, able to accommodate variations in the trigger guard and can be removed after use and reinstalled on another weapon.
With the foregoing advantages in mind, the apparatus of this disclosure is, therefore, summarized as an accessory or attachment for a semiautomatic rifle, typically of the 22-caliber variety, which is constructed with a trigger enclosed in a trigger guard. This attachment affixes to the trigger guard by means of a clamp having a U-shaped construction to encircle the trigger guard and further comprising a set of clamp screws which extend through the clamp to pinch the trigger guard. The apparatus additionally includes a hollow housing having a shaft through it, the shaft supporting a rotor and the rotor moving against a striker rod. The striker rod protrudes toward the trigger and is pushed against the trigger by the rotor. The apparatus is positioned so that the striker rod, when extended, fires the weapon through the trigger, and it moves to a retracted position as the rotor moves out of the way. The rotor is supported on a shaft which extends to the exterior of the housing, there being a handle attached to the outer end of the shaft by means of a nut, the handle having a lateral tip supporting a knob adapted to be grasped by the user. The knob is held and rotated in operation.